Year of the Spark: February 27
by Sparky Army
Summary: Behind him, the doors quietly closed, unnoticed. “’Lizabeth, what are you doing?” Next in a year's worth of Sparky stories.


_We, the Sparky Army, decree 2008 to be the Year of the Spark. We pledge to post a new sparky story or chapter of a sparky story every day from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008. Though the Powers the Be have removed Elizabeth Weir from the regular cast of Stargate Atlantis, we feel that she remains an integral part of the show, and that the relationship between her and John Sheppard is too obvious to be ignored. We hope that you, and anyone might happen to read these works, agree. _

_And if that isn't official enough for you, we don't know what is. Seriously, guys, we're just trying to have some fun--and show TPTB that Sparky is the way to go. So sit back and enjoy the 366 stories coming your way!_

Note from Author (Mama Jo): I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading this!

_Night Moves_

by

Mama Jo

Late night in Atlantis, the lights in the city's spacious corridors were dimmed to nocturnal levels. Lt. Colonel John Sheppard entered the Gateroom and headed for the stairs up to the control level, collecting nods from the Marines on guard duty. He acknowledged them with a backwards tip of his head, glad even the newbies among them had adjusted to his more relaxed command style.

At the top of the steps he turned right, waving a casual goodnight to the few techs manning the night watch. He immediately saw that Elizabeth wasn't in her office, but continued on across the little bridge to the corridor bordering one side of it. Well, he reflected, it _had_ been a stressful several days. She'd had to be really tough and come down hard on some people; no wonder she'd retreated to the peace and quiet of her quarters. He might as well head for his.

His way lay past the largish chamber they'd finally fitted up as a rec room and lounge area. As he turned the corner into the corridor leading past it, he saw a glow of light coming from the stained glass panels on either side of the door; heard faint sounds emanating from behind the closed doors. Pausing for half a step, he felt indignation suddenly swell inside him. Doggone it, this was too much! Whoever had snuck in there afterhours, civilian or military, _against_ expressed orders, was going to get a reaming like they'd never had before. He took the last few strides to bring him abreast of the door, and angrily swiped his hand across the doors to open it. He charged through, furious gaze sweeping ahead--

--And froze just as suddenly. He felt his jaw drop as the person inside spun to face him in equal shock.

_Elizabeth?!_

After a couple of tries, John managed to croak her name. She relaxed marginally, but continued to clutch the game controller she held to her chest, her green eyes wide and flustered. "'Lizabeth," he repeated, taking a tentative couple of steps toward her. Behind him, the doors quietly closed, unnoticed. "'Lizabeth, what are you _doing?"_

The leader of the Atlantis expedition looked down at the device in her hands; glanced over her shoulder at an active screen; and shrugged, seeming to be at an uncharacteristic loss for words. "I -- I wanted to see what all the fuss was about," she said in a small voice, as if confessing to raiding a cookie jar. She threw another look backward. When she faced him again, she added in apparent puzzlement, "I'm afraid I don't see why people have been acting so crazy about these things. I mean, I know Wii's are supposed to be all the rage back on Earth, but _seriously_. . ." She let her voice trail off uncertainly.

Sticking his hands back in his pockets, John peeked past her at the wide, flat-paneled screen. "Tennis, huh? Maybe you should have tried the golf," he said, fighting back the urge to grin broadly. "No, seriously," he paused, and let a little bit of his grin show, "it's more fun when you're actually playing against someone else."

She tipped her head and raised an eyebrow at him, her expression going intent. "Seriously? But -- not golf."

"Not tennis." Pursing his lips thoughtfully, John strolled past her to pick up another control device and peruse the available selections. "Ronon and the Marines are really big on the 'Smackdown versus Raw.'"

"Imagine that. Wasn't Rodney and Radek's big fight over the space station building thing?"

"Yep. Ah." His grin widened challengingly as he looked back at her. "Table tennis?"

Elizabeth's chin came up slightly. "You're on. Table tennis it is."

John loaded the game and returned to stand next to her. "Okay. Game on."

_With the score tied at eight games apiece, the military and civilian leaders of Atlantis barely made it out of the rec room and to their respective quarters undiscovered before dawn broke over the city._

_The rematch is scheduled for tomorrow night._

The End


End file.
